Heh, virtually word for word from my post over on the Classic Horror Film Board, but what the heck...

Another remake... and one I prefer slightly to original. Unlike Village of the Damned, I have seen the original Invaders from Mars and liked it, but for some reason, the 80's remake just sort of "clicked" with me more.

While remakes are usually hit and miss, this Tobe Hooper-directed film is actually quite well done, at least in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I like the original as well. But this one has a palpable atmosphere of slowly-building eerie dread and discomfort, helped along by a spooky score courtesy of Christopher Young and David Storrs (which I'm so glad was released by Intrada). The Stan Winston-created Martians are also a highlight, particularly the big-brained leader, and I have nothing but praise for the special effects used for whenever someone gets sucked underneath the sand. I'm unsure how they did it (some kind of swirling machinery? Reversing the film?) but it looks fantastic and creepy. As far as performances go, I love James Karen (Frank from The Return of the Living Dead!) as Marine General Wilson.

If I have one complaint it's that the film adheres almost too closely to the original, including the copout ending. Yes, in both versions, I hate the "It was all just a dream!" ending, I don't care what anyone says.

I also disliked that despite being overall more violent than the original, it fails to properly depict just how wrong the possessed people are supposed to be acting. Here, David's parents just act sort of spaced out and develop inexplicable, weird eating and drinking habits, whereas in the original they were harsh and violent; David's mere mention of the injury on the back of his father's neck earned him a backhand which knocks him to the floor. That shocked me as a kid. There is no such harshness here from the people the Martians possess. They're just weird.

Beyond that, it's a solid movie, and I highly recommend it as a pretty decent piece of 80's sci-fi and an example of an overall decent remake, up there with The Fly, The Thing and The Blob from the same decade.

Judging by some of the replies I got on the other forum, it isn't a very well-liked movie; they all seem to prefer the original, but I rather like the remake more. I sometimes feel a little alone in my appreciation of the movie.

I've never really seen the original. I've seen some clips of it. This had a nice bio-mechanical art direction to it. I've told people who were fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles if they'd like to know what Krang would look like in live action-the head brain creature is probably the best place to look.

It's quite a bit nastier than the film in some places. For example, when the Martian digging machine comes up through the floor, in the book the whirling blades cut the two policemen into bloody chunks, unlike in the movie where they just get knocked backwards and disappear. Mrs. McKeltch's death is also a bit gorier; the Martian chews her up instead of swallowing her whole.

I've never really seen the original. I've seen some clips of it. This had a nice bio-mechanical art direction to it. I've told people who were fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles if they'd like to know what Krang would look like in live action-the head brain creature is probably the best place to look.

Remember watching this one a couple of years back. I had just re-watched "Lifeforce" and thought it was holding up very well, so tried this one despite the negative reactions found elsewhere.

I thought it looked badly put together and way too campy for my taste. The highlight for me was a supporting character eating a frog for no apparent reason, so go figure. On the other hand, I have fond memories of the B/W original. I saw it only once as a kid and scared the hell out of me. That sand whirlwind, and how unnatural the father looked after he was "turned"... I'll probably find the whole thing childish if I watch it again, but I'm somehow tempted.

Logged

Due to the horrifying nature of this film, no one will be admitted to the theatre.

I don't think the remake was campy at all. I found it very atmospheric and creepy. The original started out well, with some genuinely disturbing scenes involving the possessed people (especially the parents) and many a startling moment, but the climax was a letdown because of just how hokey the Martians were - to say nothing of that copout ending (which unfortunately the remake suffers from, too). The Martians in the remake are kinda goofy-looking, too, but at least they look organic and not like guys in cloth costumes and welder's goggles. I also think the remake did a better job of showing people being sucked under the ground. This was startling in the original when it happened suddenly and silently, but I just think it looked really fake.